The Nine-Tailed Death God
by Nanome
Summary: The Shinigami never expected to find the Child of Prophecy when it was summoned to the mortal realm. When the opportunity presented itself, it just couldn't resist playing with fate. Now, a Naruto blessed (or Cursed?) by Shinigami itself had to pave his way through the Shinobi world, while making sure he didn't accidentally kill anyone. Obviously, the Kyuubi was of no help. Harem.
1. Death and Demons

**Before you read this story….I am not going to say anything. No warnings. No explanations. And certainly, no declarations.**

 **I do not hope to understand how a person may view a story. So, I leave the readers to form their own opinions. And when you do, don't forget to write a Review!**

 **Disclaimer: People are bound by what they accept as Correct and True. That's how they define Reality. So, I do not own Naruto…Probably.**

* * *

Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage of Konoha, always believed that in the shinobi world, you could never trust a person completely. In this game of shadows and grave of danger, even the person closest to you might stab you in the back.

So, instead of relying on any shinobi, he decided to place his trust in the Shinigami to do his bidding.

Everything was going according to the plan. Or so he thought.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to restrain the mighty Kyuubi on his own, so, he had his wife doing the task for him. His newborn son – He still couldn't believe that he was a father now! - was placed in the altar, with a myriad of seals inscribed around him.

He summoned the Death God itself for the ritual and for one frightening moment, the very atmosphere boiled under the terrifying aura of the Shinigami. He knew his life was forfeit the moment he summoned the Shinigami but for his son and his village, he was elated to be a sacrifice.

That was until the Shinigami's eyes fell on his son, who was crying in his crib for all his worth – Minato suspected that even his hour old son could understand how bad the situation was.

And then everything went to hell.

The Shinigami caught the handle of the blade in its mouth and before Minato could even shout in horror, it plunged the knife into the belly of his son. "Wh...What?!"

Time stopped still.

The silence was only shattered when Kushina screamed in rage and tried to crawl over to her son. "NARUTO!"

Even the Kyuubi, who was growling in anger until then, could only blink in surprise. But before it could rejoice that its to-be container was killed, half of it's chakra – the Yin half – was forcibly extracted from the bijuu and was sealed into the exhausted form of Kushina Uzumaki.

Kushina's mouth was hung open in a half-scream as once again, her body became the container of the mightiest of the tailed beasts. The only reason she was still alive after successive extraction and sealing was due to her Uzumaki longevity and that it's only the Yin-half that was sealed into her this time.

And of course, there was also the hand of the Shinigami in this.

She collapsed in exhaustion and as her eyes closed out of her own accord, the one thing she noticed was that there was no blood where the blade pierced the belly of her son.

Minato was flabbergasted. This was not the plan! Hell, the Yin-half should've been sealed into him and then, he would have carried the burden to his death. Couldn't he trust anyone around here to their job?

Reigning in his emotions, as it wouldn't do for the Hokage to freak out when there was still a bijuu threat hanging over their heads, Minato prepared the seal formula to begin the sealing of the Yang-half.

"I won't allow it!" As the Kyuubi – who looked visibly smaller than it was a second ago – raised its claw as a final act of defiance, Minato appeared before the vulnerable forms of his wife and son. "I won't be sealed into a child!"

Naruto and Kushina looked so peaceful as they slept that even Minato was loath to disturb them. The Kyuubi truly was heartless, he decided in his mind.

Minato looked the Shinigami in the eyes as the giant claw pierced his stomach. 'What the hell is happening?' His look conveyed.

The Shinigami – who Minato suspected was dumb – shifted its gaze to Naruto and gave a nod.

Unbidden, a memory rose to the front of his mind.

" _In the future, the Shinobi world will face a grave danger," Jiraiya warned as he looked at his student. "The child of Prophecy will be its savior."_

"Ah, I see," Minato let out a chuckle as blood dripped from his mouth. "It's as I suspected. Naruto is the child of Prophecy."

Minato's gaze shifted to his wife and his smile widened as he realized that her wounds were slowly healing. The Kyuubi's chakra was doing its work. "I trust you with our son, Kushina. I know you will be a great mother."

"Naruto," a tear slid down Minato's cheek as he stared lovingly at the sleeping form of his son. "There will come a time...when you will feel like the whole world's against you. Don't despair and never give up. You are my legacy...Naruto."

There was nothing more to say.

Taking a deep breath, Minato's hands flashed into a set of hand-signs. " **Hakke no Fuin Shiki! (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style!)"**

Naruto started crying again as the Yang-half of the Kyuubi was sealed into him. His slightly tanned skin paled, accentuating the whisker marks on his cheek, and his golden blond hair glowed like a miniature Sun.

But even more peculiar was the aura of the death that was wafting off him like smoke. At this close distance, it was so intense that Minato nearly collapsed to his knees.

"D-Death's essence!" Minato stuttered as the realization hit him.

The Shinigami blessed – or was it cursed? – his son! This was bad. Naruto's chakra was corrupted with the taint of death and until he could control it fully, no one could even get near him.

He feared that the village might shun his son for containing the Kyuubi but now, he was sure that they would. Even a half decent shinobi could sense the downright terrifying aura of death and if no one could even get near his son, Naruto would be ostracized for life.

As he drew his dying breath, Minato glared at the Shinigami. What forced the Death God to pull this stunt? Even as his soul slowly entered the Shinigami's realm, Minato's mind was filled with a single thought.

'In this shinobi world, everyone has their own agenda. You can't trust anyone. Not even the Shinigami.'

* * *

Kushina opened her bleary eyes, only to blink when the whiteness of the hospital room hit her like the morning Sun. She groaned in discomfort and her raspy throat hurt like hell when she tried to form words.

'What happened?' She wondered as she looked around in confusion. The last thing she remembered was the Shinigami... 'Naruto!'

She woke up with a start and struggled to get to her feet but a hand held her back. She looked up to see the tired visage of the third Hokage. "Hiruzen-san..."

Hiruzen handed her a glass of water and she drank it like a woman stranded in a desert. "Naruto! where's my son?"

"You need to rest, Kushina," the third Hokage tried to calm her but there was no stopping Kushina Uzumaki.

"Take me to my son!" She shouted and took a step forward.

"I don't think it's wise to visit Naruto now," Hiruzen spoke in a defeated tone but Kushina already walked past him to the door. "It's not safe!"

"I don't care if he's the Kyuubi itself!" Kushina grit her teeth in frustration. "He's a day old, Hiruzen-san. _Please take me to him._ "

The sheer agony in Kushina's eyes was enough to change his decision. With a sigh, he spoke, "Follow me."

As they ascended a floor and walked down a shadowy corridor, Kushina couldn't help but notice that there's not a single soul in sight. It's as though this whole area was quarantined. Even for the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi, this was too much of a precaution.

As they neared the farthest ward in the corridor, Kushina could hear the heart-wrenching cries of a child. Allowing her temper to show, she turned on Hiruzen like a vengeful goddess. "HE'S CRYING FOR KAMI KNOWS HOW LONG AND YOU DON'T WANT ME TO SEE HIM?"

Hiruzen almost took a back step at the amount of chakra Kushina was flaring. Raising his hands in a placating gesture, he explained. "You need to understand, Kushina. We can't even get near him!"

"What are you saying?" She narrowed her eyes threateningly. She would be damned if they already started fearing her child because he was a Jinchuuriki.

"It's hard to explain. His chakra…it's unusual..."

With a huff, Kushina rushed forward and paid no mind to Hiruzen's warnings. But as she neared the room, an oppressive force of the likes she never experienced slammed into her and she held the wall for support. It was like something was pulling at her soul and trying to devour her whole.

'Wh-what aura is this?' She thought in fear. 'It feels like...the Shinigami!'

Even though it felt like she was trespassing near Death's door, the cries of her son made her trudge forward. Even if it was reckless, Hiruzen could appreciate Kushina's sheer willpower, born out of love for her child. Her nails raked the wall as she moved at a snail's pace and with a forceful shove, she opened the door to the room. Her son was placed in a crib in the middle of the room and if not for the crib, the room was practically empty.

'It looks like a containment cell,' Kushina thought in a fit of anger.

At the sound of the door opening, Naruto cried even harder and outside the room, Hiruzen slid down to his knees as another wave of Death's aura hit him. 'Dear Kami, this is...'

Kushina reached the crib and gently lifted her son into her arms. At the warm and loving touch, Naruto stopped crying, and looked curiously at the red-haired woman. Almost reverently, Kushina touched his cheek to wipe the tear tracks off his whiskered cheeks and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

As fast as it came, the aura vanished as Naruto giggled and buried himself into the warmth of her bosom. The two adults on the floor breathed a sigh of relief as the oppressive force disappeared, with the only sign that it ever existed being the chill in the air.

"I'm taking him home," Kushina said as she came out of the room with Naruto sleeping in her arms. He was probably tired after crying for so long.

"But..."

" **I'm taking him home,"** Kushina repeated, leaving no room for argument. Her violet eyes glowed red for a moment before they became normal.

Hiruzen could only nod, knowing that no force could stop her once she decided.

* * *

A week after the Kyuubi incident, Kushina entered the Hokage's office to find Hiruzen sitting in the Hokage's chair. Her chest twinged with pain as the face of a blond haired man replaced the third Hokage's. She remembered how Minato's face lit up every time she entered through the door, only to mask it when he realized that he shouldn't act like a lovesick boy in the Hokage's office.

She pushed down the grief and nodded at the third Hokage. "You called for me, Hiruzen-san?"

"Yes," Hiruzen removed the Hokage's hat to show his weary expression. "How are you, Kushina?"

There was no need to ask that question; She looked like a zombie risen from the grave. There were dark circles under her eyes and her crimson hair resembled a bird's nest. She walked with a tiredness to her steps and even her voice was weak. Looking at the grubby state of her dress, Hiruzen assumed that it had been days since she had a proper bath.

"I'm fine," Kushina lied.

Hiruzen did not try to point out her lie. "How's Naruto?"

Kushina sighed. "He keeps on crying. I don't know what's wrong with him and I can't even go near him when he's releasing that aura. It's impossible to take care of a child if you can't even touch him, Hiruzen-san. Maybe I should've asked Mikoto-chan about how to raise a kid. She's so good with kids, ya know. And I'm such a bad mother. I don't even know..."

"Kushina," Hiruzen interrupted her rambling. "It's OK."

"It's not OK!" Kushina shouted as she held her face in her palms. "I don't know what to do!"

"We found a way to bypass that aura," Hiruzen revealed with a smile and Kushina's head shot up in surprise. "But it's risky."

"I don't care," Kushina stated, with desperation visible in her eyes. "What is it?"

"You have to seal your chakra," Hiruzen said as he rose up from his seat and stood with his back facing Kushina. His gaze panned over the village in front of him and once again, he felt the weight of thousands of lives on his shoulders. He never expected that he would feel this burden again in his life. Once was too much for any person.

"What?"

"We found out that Death's aura only affects people with chakra," Hiruzen explained. "Most of the civilians barely feel it and the higher your chakra, the more you are affected by it."

With Kushina having one of the largest chakra reserves in elemental nations, it made sense that she couldn't even get near her son without collapsing.

"I will do it," Kushina stated with determination. With the amount of chakra she had, it would be fatal to seal it away but she was willing to take that risk. "I was ready to die for my son, Hiruzen-san. Giving up my shinobi career is nothing before it."

"I see," Hiruzen took a deep breath. It will be a noticeable blow to the village's strength as Kushina was a Kage level shinobi. But he would honor Minato's sacrifice. "I will tell Jiraiya to prepare the sealing chamber."

"Jiraiya is here?" Kushina asked in surprise. The last time she heard from the Toad Sage, he was traveling the elemental nations to do his _research._ And providing information to the village. But mainly to do his research.

"He arrived a day ago," Hiruzen replied with a nod. "But...he's still recovering...It was tough for him to lose another student."

Kushina said nothing. She knew the pain all too well. With a respectful nod, she rose from her seat and moved to the door. "Thank you, Hokage-Sama."

"It's the least I could do," Hiruzen whispered in regret.

* * *

The next day, Kushina sat at the center of the sealing chamber with three concentric circles of kanji around her. Around the Death Reaper seal on her stomach, she wrote another set of seals to store all the chakra released from the Kyuubi. Minato's seal was brilliant but now it would be a hindrance if the Kyuubi kept on releasing the chakra into her reserves.

"Are you ready, Kushina-chan?" Jiraiya asked, with no hint of his usual jovial tone.

Kushina gave a nod and bit down hard on her cheek to stop herself from screaming once the seal activated. The Kanji on the floor glowed blue and the seal on her stomach glowed red as chakra passed through them. Slowly, the kanji slithered onto her body and formed a third circle around her Death Reaper seal.

She finally gave into the pain and screamed as the chakra in her tenketsu was forcibly pushed into the seal. After a few minutes, there was a blinding crimson glow and a massive surge of chakra, indicating that the sealing was finished.

Kushina panted, with blood dripping down from her ruby red lips. She felt too weak with her chakra sealed and if this was how civilians felt, she was more than happy to be a ninja. Even lifting her arm seemed like a chore now.

Allowing a smile to play on her lips, she gave into the exhaustion.

* * *

The next time Kushina woke up, it was in her own room in her house. She could still feel the tiredness that came with sealing one's chakra and for the first time in years, she couldn't even sense anyone. She was just another civilian woman for now. Even though the whole arrangement was only temporary, lasting until the moment her son learns to control his chakra, Kushina couldn't help but shudder at the _wrongness_ of not having chakra actively flowing through her coils.

Rising to her feet, she strolled down to the nursery where her son was sleeping. This time, there was no aura stopping her from holding her son.

Feeling the touch of another person, Naruto opened his azure blue eyes and blinked cutely. Now that she realized, her son was warm to touch and his skin was so soft!

"Oh, you're so cuuute!" Kushina cooed and rubbed her cheek with Naruto's.

Naruto let out a small sob of discomfort and Kushina prepared herself for a wave of Death's aura to slam onto her. But when nothing happened, she laughed in joy and twirled around with Naruto in her arms.

"Now I can stay all day long with my Naru-chan!" Kushina placed a kiss on Naruto's cheek, making him giggle again. "Oh, you like mommy's kisses?"

Bringing him close, she poured out all the love she couldn't show in the past week and peppered him with soft kisses all over the face.

The end result was Naruto crying again.

"AAH! Mom's sorry!" Kushina panicked as she tried to calm him down. "I knew I should've taken tips from Mikoto-chan."

* * *

When Hiruzen met Kushina again after a week, she was all smiles and laughs. Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow from his seat on the window's ledge.

"You look happy, Kushina," Hiruzen commented as he took a puff from his pipe.

Kushina wrinkled her nose at the smell of smoke but she was too happy to admonish the Hokage for his habits. "I am."

"Any particular reason?" Hiruzen asked with a knowing smile.

"Naruto is such an awesome baby, datte'bane!" Kushina declared with a mile-wide grin. "He rarely cries now and he keeps on looking around with those big blue eyes. It's so cute, ya know."

"Looks like motherhood's serving you well, Kushina-chan," Jiraiya remarked casually with his usual grin.

"Don't you talk, you lazy pervert!" Kushina yelled as she pointed an accusing finger at Jiraiya. "You didn't even visit your godson once!"

"Hey, I tried!" Jiraiya yelled back indignantly. "I can't even get past the gate."

"Eh, what are you saying?" Kushina tilted her head in confusion. "Kakashi-kun visited yesterday!"

"The will to live, Kushina-chan," Jiraiya explained patiently. "Death's aura is especially bad to those who really want to live. I do for sure. I still have to find the child of prophecy and I can't die until then. And of course, even I have large chakra reserves."

"Oh," Kushina mumbled in realization.

Kakashi was only a shell of what he once was, what after the successive deaths of Obito and Rin. The death of his sensei, who was like a father to him, was the final blow that made him lose the will to live. In a twisted sense, the Death's aura might be welcoming for him.

"So, anything else, Kushina?" Hiruzen asked in his grandfatherly tone.

"Now that you ask, there is something weird," Kushina said hesitantly.

"What is it?" Jiraiya was immediately alert at the thought of something happening to his godson. "Anything dangerous?"

"No! Nothing like that," Kushina mollified the Toad Sage. "It's just... I am seeing a lot of animals around the house. Just before I came here, there was this bird playing with Naru-chan!"

"Animals, you say?" Hiruzen whispered in thought. If there was a chance of anybody knowing, then it's Sarutobi Hiruzen. Aptly named 'The Professor', the man forgot more than what people learned in their entire life. "It sounds like natural energy. What do you say, Jiraiya?"

"Hmm. The same happens when I'm in sage mode," Jiraiya replied with a thoughtful frown. The idea of two week old becoming a sage was laughable at best.

"Death's essence can be considered as natural energy," Hiruzen shrugged as he added some more _herbs_ to his pipe. "It's harmless anyway. No need to worry about it."

Kushina sighed in relief. Life was already weird with all the constant talks about death. She didn't have the patience to deal with anything more.

"But it's better if we teach chakra control to young Naruto from a young age," Hiruzen continued as he pinned Kushina with a stern gaze. "The faster he learns to control his chakra, the better it is for everyone. My ANBU are getting too antsy to even go near your house."

"Yeah! I want to meet my godson as soon as possible," Jiraiya declared with his roguish grin. "There is so much I have to teach him!"

Kushina's eye twitched at the faraway look in Jiraiya's eyes. She knew the look all too well. "I'll beat you worse than Tsunade did if you ever teach my son about your _research."_

"Calm down woman!" Jiraiya shuddered at Kushina's murderous expression. "I won't teach him my precious art until he's thirteen."

"That's no better!" Kushina grabbed the new Icha Icha book on the table in her hands and decked the Perverted Sannin in the face.

Jiraiya flew out of the window and landed on the road in an ungraceful heap, making Hiruzen sigh and lament that his new copy was damaged before he could read it.

* * *

 **Nine Months Later**

Kushina was on a mission to find her son, who just couldn't sit in one place. From the second he learned to crawl, he started roaming all over place, leaving no corner unturned; Most of times, it gave Kushina a heart attack when he tried to jump out of the crib or when she couldn't find him anywhere in the house.

Recently he started to take a few steps and Kushina feared the day he learned to walk. She would probably spend the whole day chasing after him. "Naru-chan? Where are you?"

She walked out the door and into the backyard to find him sitting on the ground, with a sparrow perched on his shoulder and a fox cub in his lap. He was babbling enthusiastically, making wild hand gestures, and the fox did seem like it was paying attention. Kushina knew that it wouldn't be long before he started speaking words, even though Mikoto warned that it will take him some more weeks. Just because Sasuke was slow didn't mean her son was, datte'bane!

Meanwhile, the sparrow was trying to lodge a twig into his golden blond hair; and was failing miserably.

This sight was so common that Kushina didn't even give any reaction. Most of the time, he had one or the other animal with him and sometimes, they even slept with him in the same crib. At least they were good companions to him, as Kushina was sure that there was little chance of human interaction possible for her son.

Naruto stopped his interesting conversation when his mother came into sight. He grabbed a flawless, white marble from his pocket and presented it to his mother. Judging by the dirt on his fingers, he probably dug it out on his own. "Mama!"

"Oh, that's beautiful, Naru-chan!" Kushina praised as she held the smooth rock in her hands. Then it hit her like lightning that he just spoke his first word. "Naru-chan! What did you say?"

But Naruto already ignored his mother in favor of crawling away to dig out some more rocks. Kushina tried to hold him but he slid away from her grasp. Having no choice, she held him by the hem of his shirt.

Naruto tried in vain to move forward and no matter how much he crawled, it seemed like he wasn't moving. He made another brave attempt, only to feel like something was tugging him back. Slowly, he turned to face the smiling form of his mother. "Eh?"

"Say it again, Naru-chan," Kushina pleaded as she moved closer. "Say 'mama'."

Kakashi, who had just entered the house, arrived at the place where there was commotion and found Kushina begging her son to say something. He hid a chuckle behind his mask. "I brought the groceries, Kushina-san."

Kushina turned to greet Kakashi but a scowl formed on her face when she saw the orange colored book in his hands. "Kakashi! Don't read it around Naruto."

"He still can't read, Kushina-san," Kakashi reasoned with an eye-smile.

" **Don't read it around Naruto,"** Kushina repeated with a violent glint in her eyes.

"Hai!" A chill went down Kakashi's spine. He put the book in his pocket in an instant. "Of course, Kushina-san."

"You're so formal, Kakashi-kun," Kushina complained as she took the groceries, reverting back to usual in a second. Kakashi breathed in relief.

From the moment she sealed off her chakra, Kakashi took it upon him to bring all the necessary things for the house. It was sweet, only if Kakashi hadn't considered it his duty. The kid was too reserved for his own good. "Naru-chan, say 'Hi' to Kakashi-nii."

Naruto waved his hands happily and tried once again to escape the hold of his mother. He was unsuccessful.

"What's the matter, Kushina-san?" Kakashi asked as he noticed the struggle of the little blond-haired boy.

"He just said his first word!" Kushina grinned and flashed a victory. "Say 'mama' Naru-chan."

Naruto gave his mother a blank stare and then ignored her to glance around in interest. Kushina deflated and let out a sigh of disappointment.

"I'm sure he did," Kakashi gave his signature eye-smile.

"But if he doesn't say it again, how can I prove it and rub it in Mikoto's face?" Kushina lamented, with faux tears running down her face.

Kakashi sweatdropped.

"Why won't you say it, Naru-chan?" Kushina bopped Naruto gently on the nose.

Naruto looked at his mother in betrayal and tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. Just as it looked like he was about to cry, Kushina panicked and tried to smother Naruto in her bosom. Naruto wiggled his hands as he struggled to escape and Kakashi could only watch the scene from the side with a deadpan. "I'm so sorry, Naru-chan. Mom will never try to hit you again."

"Mama," Naruto mumbled again as a final resort.

Kushina stopped apologizing and stared at Naruto with visible joy on her face. "He said it! Kakashi-kun, did you hear it?"

"Sure did," was Kakashi's only answer.

"I can't wait to tell Mikoto!" Kushina cheered. "My son is way better than those stuck up Uchiha."

That evening, Kushina was at the gate, embellishing to Mikoto about how her son had already started speaking. She entered the house with a sense of fulfillment, happy that she finally found a way to get back at Mikoto for gushing about her eldest son Itachi.

But her heart thudded in a sense of foreboding when she didn't hear the usual of sounds of his son playing around. She rushed up the stairs to the nursery but her hands trembled when there was no sign of Naruto. She hurried into the backyard to find palm prints but they only led up to the boundary wall before they vanished.

Taking deep breaths, she calmed herself and placed her palm on the seal on her stomach. **"Kai: Release!"**

* * *

The third Hokage was tiredly shuffling through the bundles of paperwork on his table when a massive surge of chakra hit his senses. There was only one person in whole Konoha who had Chakra Reserves of this size but they had their chakra sealed. If Kushina thought that it was necessary to release the seal after months, then it meant that something happened to Naruto.

"ANBU!"

Three masked men appeared in an instant and knelt before him. "Orders, Hokage-Sama."

"Find out what happened to Naruto," he ordered. "No harm must come to the child."

"Hai, Hokage-Sama!" The three ANBU vanished in a shunshin, while the Hokage himself removed his Hokage robes to enter combat if necessary.

Kushina almost forgot how frightening it was to feel the Death's aura but now, it was almost welcome. It meant that her son was still alive. She was jumping from one rooftop to another as tried to sense the unique chakra signature of her son. It was a tough task as the aura was spread all over the place.

Just as she was about to change direction, a spike of malicious chakra appeared in her senses and wasting no time, she almost teleported to that place. But the sight that greeted her was something she never expected in a million years.

Naruto was sitting on floor, with tear tracks running down his chubby cheeks. But what alarmed Kushina was the Kunai held between his jaws and the dead body of a masked man beside him. The man was dressed in ANBU style armor and mask but he wore a midriff jacket under the ANBU cloak. The mask, that resembled a snake, also had two red stripes going down the left edge.

Kushina checked the pulse of the man to make sure he was dead. But she still couldn't understand how he died. There was no wound, no blood, and no signs of a cardiac arrest. It was like…Her gaze shifted to her son who still had the kunai in his mouth.

She remembered the night when the Shinigami stabbed her son with its blade but there was no blood at that time.

It was like...someone sucked out the man's soul.

Gently, she lifted her son into her arms and held back the urge to shudder as Death's aura was practically leaking from him. She removed the Kunai from his mouth and dropped it into her pouch. She wiped off his tear tracks and held him close to her. "Mama?"

"It's fine, Naru-chan," she whispered reassuringly. "Mama's here."

She would make sure that no one would ever know of this. Her son was already a target for being the Fourth Hokage's son and the Jinchuuriki of the nine tails. If anyone ever got to know of this, she feared to think of what might happen. Making a dozen hand-signs, she released one of the hottest fire justu in her arsenal. " **Katon: Shoukyaku (Incineration)"**

The dead body was burnt to ashes in seconds and the ashes were scattered to the wind. She had an idea regarding who sent the man but there was no way to prove it without putting her son in danger. If people suspect that her son had this peculiar and terrible power, he would become a puppet under the village elders; Which could only happen over her dead body.

Even if she had to deal with Death or Demons, she would protect her son with her life.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I believe this is enough for a Prologue. How is it?**

 **Yes, that man was a ROOT ANBU. That was why he was able to even get near Naruto, as they have no emotions and certainly, no will to live.**

 **For any further questions, doubts, opinions, suggestions, REVIEW! I accept humble one line reviews too. There, I said it. So, GO CRAZY.**


	2. The Crow's Apprentice

**Disclaimer: Death is but the next great adventure. So, I probably did own Naruto in my previous life and could own Naruto in future. But right now? No, I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Naruto was a smart kid from the very beginning. He grasped things quickly, despite still being only four years old, and had an outgoing personality that captured hearts everywhere he went. But unfortunately, he didn't travel anywhere else to spread love with his cute smiles and kind actions. The only places he had seen in his admittedly short life were his house and the backyard behind his house.

The only reason his mother provided was that she wouldn't take him out until he learned to meditate. He _was_ a smart boy. But even he couldn't understand how the hell meditation would help him with going out of the house.

'Adults are weird,' he usually thought.

He was sitting cross-legged under a gigantic tree in his backyard, trying his hardest to meditate. It made no sense how sitting still and closing the eyes could help anyone. A golden-feathered, palm-sized, swift bird was making laps around his head, while a squirrel was making a valiant effort at biting off his knee-length shorts.

Opening his eyes with a deadpan expression on his face, he stared at the bird circling his head. He sucked at meditation and the bird was _not_ helping. His bright azure eyes tracked the movements of the bird, noting how it zoomed through the air at breakneck speeds, and for a moment, it seemed like the bird was suddenly moving in slow-motion.

He observed the way it's golden feathers shone under the sunlight and how its wings displaced the air as it flew. Its beady black eyes were staring straight ahead and it's feathers ruffled with each stoke of its wing.

With speed that no four year old should possess, he plucked the bird out of thin air and brought it to his eye level. " _What_ , Swift-chan?"

The bird chirped in apology and flew to his shoulder when he released his hold. Sighing, he rose to his feet and dismissed this session as another failure. Meditation seemed to be beyond him.

"Mom, I'm hungry!" Naruto shouted as he entered the house. His feet made no sound as he walked through the hall and if not for the sound of his steady breathing, no one could have even noticed that he's there.

"Come to the kitchen," Kushina shouted in return.

Naruto followed the smell of food and found his mother stirring curry in the pan. He placed his hands on top of the counter and struggled to climb over it but when he was left swinging his legs in mid-air, Kushina let out a chuckle. Holding him by his waist, she lifted him and placed him beside the stove.

"I didn't need help," Naruto said with a pout.

His height was a soft spot for Naruto. Because he never saw kids his age, he believed that all humans were tall and that he's the only short person in the entire elemental nations. Kushina cried with laughter when he explained his thoughts to her one night.

"I know," Kushina relied with a smile. "But it's a mother's duty to help her son."

"You always say that," Naruto complained with his cheeks puffed up, making Kushina squeal at the sheer cuteness of that pose. Before she could say anything, Naruto's head perked up in excitement. "Kaka-nii is here!"

Naruto always knew where people were. He was not a chakra sensor like Kushina was or maybe he still didn't develop that skill but somehow he could pinpoint the exact location of any person. Even now, he could sense that there was a man hiding in a tree outside the boundary wall.

When asked about it, he simply said that he could _feel_ the presence of the person. Kushina had no idea what that meant.

The next moment the bell rang, making Naruto jump to his feet and run across the hall to open the door. But he didn't stop at that and flew into the air to kick the silver-haired man.

Kakashi paid no mind to the attack on his person and caught the flying boy by the hem of his t-shirt. "Hello to you too, Naru-kun."

This was the usual routine whenever Kakashi came to the house. Naruto would try to attack him and Kakashi would either let it hit or catch the boy in mid-air. The one time he dodged, Naruto flew out of the door and landed painfully on the ground, bruising his elbow. Kushina burned his Icha-Icha in retaliation. Suffice to say, Kakashi never tried to dodge again.

"I'll defeat you, Kaka-nii," Naruto yelled as he pointed a finger at Kakashi.

When Naruto realized that Kakashi was still taller than him after four years, he decided that he would defeat the taller man to show that short people were not weak. Kakashi thought that it was high time that the boy saw the outside world. He had no idea what conclusion Naruto would arrive at after a few years.

"I'm sure you will," Kakashi replied dryly and placed Naruto on the ground.

Once the three of them sat at the dining table, Kushina asked the usual question. "How's your meditation coming along, Naru-chan?"

"Bad," was Naruto's only reply.

He was swinging his legs as he sat on the high chair and his little fingers were beating a steady drum on the wooden table. This was one of the quirks he developed as he grew up and no matter what she did, Kushina could never get him out of his habit. It was like he _had_ to keep moving, even when he was sitting still. No wonder meditation was so far out of his reach.

"Oh, I'm sure you're improving," Kushina encouraged him. As she had her chakra sealed again, she had no idea how much his chakra control had improved.

"Hmm, you are," Kakashi added his own two cents, making Naruto snort in disbelief.

"I don' 'derstand," Naruto still had a problem with big words. "How it helps..."

"You have to wait for good things to come, Naru-chan," Kushina advised wisely, making Kakashi cock an eyebrow in disbelief. Kushina, of all people, had no right to talk about patience.

"Like me getting tall?" Naruto asked in excitement, doing a one eighty from his previous behavior.

Kushina sweatdropped. "Yeah, like you getting tall."

"Awesome!"

* * *

The next day, Naruto was learning another skill that was just as infuriating, if not more, than meditation. Calligraphy.

Drawing Kanji with paintbrush and ink on a blank paper must be the most boring task in the history of mankind. He was repeating the same symbol again and again to get to the stage where he could draw it perfectly in his sleep.

Either his mother was a sadist in disguise or being an adult was as stupid as it seemed. They just didn't know the meaning of fun if this was what they did in their free time.

His hand moved along the paper gracefully yet swiftly. His quick movements did help with mundane tasks like these. After filling up the ninth paper, he placed it beside him and breathed a sigh of relief. He was done for the day!

"So, let's go play, monkey-chan?" Naruto turned to the side to find out that the monkey, who was sitting beside him till now, was running away with some papers in its mouth.

He looked down to see that his papers were missing. There was a monkey running way with some papers. It didn't take him long to arrive at a conclusion and when he did, his right eyebrow twitched repeatedly in annoyance. "Come back, monkey-chan!"

Shooting off from his position, he raced across the backyard but the monkey already jumped the boundary wall and was making its way into the woods behind his house.

Curse animals and their knack of disrupting everything he did. Taking a deep breath, he remembered how Kaka-nii and his mother jumped from one rooftop to other. Lower the body, send a steady amount of chakra to the feet, and release it all once.

He took a back step and with a flash of bluish black chakra, he leaped over the wall and landed on the other side. A grin made it's way onto his face when he realized that this was the first time he got out of his house; At least as far as he could remember. "This is so cool!"

Repeating the process, he sent chakra to his feet and soles, and disappeared in a burst of speed. The monkey realized that it had a pursuer and started jumping from one tree to another. Naruto let out a growl after noticing that the monkey had started running faster and increased the amount of chakra rushing to his feet.

Just when it felt like he was closing the distance, a foreign presence suddenly appeared in his senses and he looked up to find a teenager sitting on the branch of a gigantic tree.

* * *

Itachi was reading a book about the First Shinobi War, enjoying the calmness and tranquility of the woods. He finally had a day of peace after months of training and assassination missions in the ANBU. He felt like no force could disturb him today…

Before he could even finish that thought, a commotion reached his ears. Itachi looked up at the sky with a blank expression and cursed the gods above. He shifted his stare to the ground to see a monkey running away with a wad of papers in its mouth. As if that wasn't weird enough…Following it was a blond blur, but to Itachi's confusion, the boy was no taller than a four year old.

What the hell? How on elemental nations was a four year old running at genin level speeds? And why hadn't he ever heard of this boy before?

Itachi stared at the blond and to Itachi's shock, the boy looked up to meet his stare. Okay, Itachi thought, there was something fundamentally wrong with this scenario. Itachi was an ANBU, who was famed for his stealth in the department, and from what he was hearing these days, he was about to be made ANBU captain.

Yet, a four year old sensed him? Had he been an emotional person, he would've been crushed by this revelation and buried himself in shame.

As the four year old was looking at him, the boy didn't notice that he was about to run into a tree. "Look out," Itachi shouted in alarm.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. What should he look out for? The answer came in the form of a tree to the face. Literally. With an audible thump, he crashed into the bark of the tree. "Owwie!"

Itachi almost winced when he heard the crunch of a bone breaking. Shaking his head, he leaped down to the ground to check upon the boy.

Naruto was already dreading the inevitable meeting he would have with his mom. She wouldn't miss a broken nose for sure. Suppressing the tears leaking out of his eyes, he wiped the blood off his face with his t-shirt.

"Are you okay?" Itachi asked in concern. He moved closer to the boy but took a step back in fright when an oppressive aura slammed onto him.

'This must be Kushina-obasan's son,' Itachi's eyes widened in realization. 'This aura is as terrifying as mother said.'

"Uh huh," Naruto nodded, holding his hand to his nose. He focused on the pain and sent his chakra to his nose; He could already feel it healing. He pressed his nose gently, finding that it's still somewhat sore but completely intact. "There! Back to normal."

Naruto turned his gaze to the black-haired teen with a bright grin on his face. The teen had a lean frame, with taut muscles showing the signs of arduous training. He was dressed in the typical ANBU attire, with a tanto on his back and a weasel mask attached to his belt. He had onyx eyes that shone with intelligence and had two tear-troughs running down to his nose. His pitch-black hair was pulled into a pony-tail, with bangs framing either side of his face.

But the most noticeable thing was the lack of any expression on his face.

At the same time, Itachi was scrutinizing the blond-haired boy before him. Dressed in a white t-shirt and blue shorts, he looked like a typical four year old, if not for the whiskers marks on his chubby cheeks. His azure eyes held a glint of mischief and unbridled intelligence. His fair skin accentuated his spiky golden-blond hair, which fell onto his forehead in a mess. The boy stood at the height of an average four-year old and his body showed signs of being a speed-type. All in all, Itachi could see that he was a cute kid.

But Itachi's experienced eyes noticed how the boy just couldn't stop fidgeting. Either the kid was impatient or had too much energy in his body. After seeing his previous stunt, Itachi favored the latter.

Itachi was not surprised to see that the boy's nose was already healed. Despite being a four year old, the boy already had High-Chunin level reserves and it felt like it was just a drop in the ocean. Only a Jinchuuriki could have reserves of that size.

"Ne, how did you get there?" Naruto asked the emotionless teen as he pointed a finger at the tree branch.

"I climbed," Itachi replied blandly.

"Really?" Naruto drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't know that."

Itachi sighed. Lifting his leg, he placed it on the bark of the tree and then placed the other leg above it and just like that, he was walking up the tree. "Like this."

"So cool!" Naruto shouted in amazement. "Teach me, please!"

Itachi stared at the hopeful face of Naruto. "I can't. You are too young."

Naruto misinterpreted the words of the black-haired teen and it didn't help that Itachi's voice was naturally condescending. "Don't call me short, you teme!"

"I didn't call you short," Itachi said in confusion as he stared down at the kid.

"I'm goin' to defeat you!" Naruto pointed his index finger at Itachi before realizing what the teen said. "Oh, you didn'? It's fine then."

"But will you teach me, please?" Naruto continued, using his famed puppy eyes to convince the teen.

Itachi felt his manliness die a little as he stared at the big, round blue eyes of the blond-haired boy. Thank god, Sasuke was an Uchiha, so he would probably never resort to such a dangerous trick. "I'll show you. Don't complain if you can't learn it."

"Oh, I will," Naruto stated with such confidence that Itachi had no choice but to believe him.

"Okay. Other ninja say that you should first try to run up the tree and look how far you can reach," Itachi said as he emulated his professional role. "You can learn it easily that way but you can't perfect it. And I think my way is faster."

Itachi glanced at Naruto to see whether the kid was following what he was saying. To Itachi's approval, the boy was listening intently with a thoughtful expression on his face. "First place your leg, any leg, on the tree."

Itachi lifted his right leg and placed it on the tree and Naruto copied him. "Now check how much chakra you need to put for it to stick."

Itachi initially put less chakra and slowly increased it until his leg shot off the bark. "So, as you can see, if you put less chakra, you will slide off. If you put more, you will fly back."

But Naruto was focusing on something much more peculiar. The moment his leg came in contact with the tree, he could feel the tree's life force. It's almost like the tree had its own conscious and chakra. He never learned that even trees and animals could have chakra and he couldn't remember his mom or Kakashi ever mentioning it.

Tilting his head curiously, he pushed some chakra into his leg and immediately, his chakra latched onto the life force of tree like glue. He tried to pull his leg back but it seemed like it was stuck. When he stopped pushing chakra into his leg, the connection vanished.

With a smile forming on his face, he placed the other leg on the tree and then slowly – almost carefully – he walked up the tree. It was just like putting some glue on his leg and climbing up something. Gradually increasing his speed, he placed one leg after the other and started running up the tree until he was standing on the highest branch.

The warm winds of summer hit his face, ruffling his clothes and hair. He looked around to see a huge expanse of greenery surrounding him and in the distance, he could see the Hokage Mountain. Below it was the vast village of Konoha with dozens and dozen of buildings of various shapes and sizes. He never knew the village was so big! Above him a family of birds were flying around and at the sight of him, they rushed to fly around him in circles.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" he shouted loudly and to his amazement, his own voice echoed back to him.

Standing at the base of tree, Itachi showed an expression for the first time that day. Pure amazement. His mouth was hung open and his Sharingan blazed to life as he scrutinized how easily the blond had learned tree-climbing. Even he took a few minutes to learn it for the first time and they called him 'Once in a Generation' genius.

But his Sharingan showed him that the method the boy used was different from what ninja's use. Somehow, his chakra was _reacting_ with that of the tree. He heard that trees and animal possessed something called 'Nature Chakra' but this was the first time he was watching it in play. By a four year old!

After spending a few minutes enjoying the mesmerizing sight, Naruto slid down the tree with an ease that even seasoned Jonin lack. "See, I told you I'd learn it."

Itachi could only nod.

"Will you teach me more?" Naruto asked, bringing his puppy eyes jutsu into play again.

Itachi gulped. Most enemy ninja he faced weren't this dangerous. Steeling his resolve, he was about to reject before a thought hit him. Obviously, he wouldn't want Sasuke to become like him due to their father's madness for power. He would do everything in his power to make sure that Sasuke would have a happy childhood.

But Naruto was different. He would never have a normal childhood because of what he contained and his other mysterious yet terrifying power. Surely he could teach this boy what he knew and make him his...legacy or something. This thought was so foreign to him that he pondered upon it for a minute.

As an ANBU, he would forever keep his skills a secret from the general populace and if he die someday at the hands of an enemy ninja, no one would ever know of the jutsu he developed or the methods he invented. But a jinchuuriki? They have the resilience and mental fortitude to master every ninjutsu thrown their way and to his luck, he stumbled upon a prodigy.

Maybe he could make this boy his apprentice? A secret apprentice that no one would ever know of.

"Ne, you still didn' answer me," Naruto whined as he tugged at Itachi's shirt. "And you didn' tell me your name!"

"I'm Itachi Uchiha," Itachi replied as he snapped out of his reverie. "And you are, little boy?"

"I'm not little," Naruto puffed up his cheeks and narrowed his eyes, looking even cuter than scary. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"Nice to meet you, Naruto," Itachi crouched down the boy's level. "My new apprentice."

"Appre-what?" Naruto scrunched up his brows in confusion.

"Apprentice," Itachi repeated as he stood up. "You'll get to know what it means. Now give me ten laps up and down the tree!"

"EHH?"

* * *

From the day onward, whenever Itachi was free from his duties, he met Naruto at the same place where they first met. Itachi's teachings ranged from chakra control to History of elemental nations to common math. Itachi got to know as days passed that Naruto was a diligent student albeit an unwilling one.

No matter what command he gave the blond-haired boy, Naruto refused to do it first before acquiescing to Itachi's demands. Like right now.

"Naruto, I promise you, I'll save you if you drown," Itachi stated with as much as passion as he could muster. Which wasn't much, to be honest.

"No!" Naruto backed away from the stream before him and tried to hide behind a tree.

Itachi sighed. He realized teaching was actually fun when you have a quick-learner like Naruto. It was just like how he was best student in the ANBU and everybody loved to teach him anything, because they knew he would surely master it in no time. But while Itachi was disciplined, Naruto was downright stubborn.

It was at these times, when Naruto whined like a little kid, that Itachi remembered that he really was a little kid.

"Just think, Naruto." Sometimes, to convince the exuberant boy, you need to show how cool the jutsu was before you try to teach it to him. Itachi stepped onto the water and moved along with the waves. Itachi didn't stop at that and skid down the stream like a surfer at breakneck speeds. The water splashed around him as he practiced taijutsu on the flowing water and he finished the demonstration by sleeping _on_ the water. "You can do all this."

Naruto had to accept that it really did look cool. But the most water he had seen in his life was in his bathtub. Even then, his mom would be there to make sure he didn't drown himself or any others animals around him by mistake. Going from a bathtub to a lake was quite a big leap.

Reluctantly, he stepped forward and dipped in his toe in the water. Itachi had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Hardening his resolve, he stepped into the water until the water level was at his knee height.

Itachi nodded in encouragement. "Now, just remember how you did it with tree-walking."

Naruto lifted a leg and placed it on the water. According to Itachi, while the chakra output was constant in the case of tree-walking, here he should constantly change the amount of chakra he released from his feet. He pushed the chakra into his feet but to his confusion, his feet didn't stick to water like they did with the tree.

Frowning, he pushed even more chakra but the water simply splashed around his foot. Taking a leap of faith, he lifted the other leg and tried to stand on the stream. The result was not unexpected.

Losing his balance he fell into the water but since the stream was flowing, he floated away into the deep end. He panicked and tried to wriggle his limbs but he only sunk deeper. His fear rose when he realized he was sinking and as he was engulfed in water from all sides, his mind blanked.

Itachi rushed after his apprentice when he drowned but just as he was about to reach him a wave of pitch-black chakra blasted out of the boy's body. With the surge of chakra, Naruto shot up from the lake and as he was about to fall into it again, Itachi caught him in mid-air.

Itachi nearly suffocated from standing so close to the terrifying aura but he pushed away the pain and leaped onto the ground. Placing the boy on the ground, Itachi rushed away Naruto as soon as possible. While Naruto was still coughing out water and struggling to open his eyes, Itachi ignored the burning feeling all over his torso and looked at the lake.

The fishes and other animal forms swimming in the area floated up dead to the surface and yet Itachi couldn't see a speck of blood on them. It was as though...they had just died; Like in the folklore where Death arrived in the night and reaped away the souls of the sinners.

He looked at his ANBU shirt and as expected, there wasn't even a scratch on it; That black chakra didn't affect any non-living entities. He slowly removed his shirt, wincing in pain when the cloth rubbed against the sore areas on his torso. His jaw hung open in shock at the sight that greeted him. Where his body touched Naruto's, the skin was peeled away, revealing flesh underneath it. His arms and chest suffered the most damage, as those were places that had the most contact with the boy's body.

Luckily he didn't hold onto the boy for long and hence damage wasn't as critical as it could've been. Every person had dead skin cells on their body but in this case, it was just a lot severe. It wouldn't take more than a day to heal. Noticing that Naruto was about to wake up, Itachi wore the shirt again to hide his injuries; It wouldn't do to scar the boy for life.

"I told you so," were Naruto's first words. Itachi shook his head at his student's stubbornness. Thankfully, it was one of his endearing traits; Probably something he inherited from his passionate mother. "Stupid, Ita-nii."

"Yeah, I was stupid," Itachi agreed readily.

Now he understood how Naruto's powers worked. Life and Death. A more perfect balance couldn't be found in the universe. Where there was death, there would be life and where there was life, there would be death. It made sense that birds and animals were attracted to Naruto and how he could _feel_ his surroundings. It's no wonder tree-walking came so easily to him if he could sense how the tree reacted to his chakra.

But unfortunately, unlike trees, water was not a living entity. He couldn't feel water as he could feel other living organisms. So he had to learn water-walking the natural way. Itachi was sure that it wouldn't take him long. Naruto was just as much of a genius as Itachi was.

Itachi shifted his gaze to Naruto, who was staring at the Sun with a bright smile on his face. Yes, it made perfect sense that out of all the people in the elemental nations, this was the only person who had powers of death itself. For after all, you need life to sustain death and Itachi knew of no person who was more lively than Naruto Uzumaki. The boy was literally brimming with life.

Not for the first time, Itachi had the same thought he had when he first met Naruto Uzumaki. 'What an interesting kid.'

After the disastrous water-walking session, Itachi and Naruto found themselves sitting on a tree-branch as they faced each other. "You will continue learning water-walking," Itachi ordered in a bland tone.

"In a bathtub," Naruto replied just as blandly.

"No, I won't accept..." Itachi was about to disagree when he thought about it again. He got used to disagreeing so much with his apprentice that 'No' became his instinctual answer. "Okay. That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Naruto released a sigh of relief. For all he knew, Itachi might've decided to up his training and throw him in a river the next time. "What now?"

"As we both are tired," Itachi began as he made the hand-signs for summoning jutsu. "Let's do a simple exercise."

Itachi slammed his hands on the tree branch and after a burst of smoke that made Naruto cough in discomfort, there was raven sitting in between them. "This is my summon. A crow."

The crow cawed at the sight of Naruto and perched itself on his head. Naruto directed a smug smile at Itachi. "Looks like your summon likes me more, Ita-nii."

Itachi suppressed an eye-twitch and faked apathy. "I do not mind."

"Of course you do," Naruto replied bluntly. The crow above him cawed in agreement. "See, even Kuro-chan agrees."

"Kuro-chan?" Itachi deadpanned. "You already named my summon?"

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "What are we doin'?"

"You said you can _feel_ things, right?" Itachi asked despite knowing the answer. "My summon….Kuro-chan….will fly around and you should pinpoint its location."

Naruto agreed readily and closed his eyes. He could sense the crow flying away and deposit itself under the branch of the tree beside them. "It's there," Naruto said as he pointed his finger at the location.

Itachi signaled for the crow to fly even farther but even when it flew in an irregular pattern, Naruto's finger followed it accurately. "Hmm, excellent," Itachi nodded in thought.

Naruto furrowed his brows when he felt another bird in the vicinity and from the feel of it, it seemed to be an eagle. "There's an eagle comin' this way."

Itachi's eyebrow rose in surprise. Apparently, Naruto could even tell what it was from the feel of it. A few seconds later, a carrier eagle landed on their tree branch, with a mission scroll attached to its claws. Itachi freed the eagle off its burden and it flew away as soon as it came. Itachi read the message and a scowl etched itself onto his face when he read its contents. "Naruto-kun, I have an urgent mission. It might take a few days before you see me again, so, keep practicing...in a bathtub or whatever your choice is."

"Be safe, Ita-nii," Naruto waved back.

'Be safe, huh?' Itachi thought in some parts amusement and some parts joy? It had been years since someone wished him to be safe. People always felt that he's invincible so they're normally more concerned about the mission's success than about his safety. It felt...nice, hearing it after so long; It reminded him that he's still vulnerable.

"I will," Itachi tried to smile but it came as a grimace. But it's the thought that counts...or something.

Naruto made his way home once Itachi disappeared from sight. He was about to jump over the boundary wall like usually did but this time, he stopped to feel the person who usually hid in the tree behind his house. Naruto learned to ignore this person from the moment his senses developed but today, he was feeling curious...and reckless.

Naruto climbed the tree the masked ninja was on and to his surprise, the masked man made no move. He sat still like a statue, with only his head moving. It was creepy as hell, especially with the robot-like movements on the man. Naruto slowly walked over to the man and sat beside him on the branch.

"So, you're ANBU," Naruto stated conversationally. "Like Ita-nii."

The man didn't give a reply for a few minutes but when he realized that the boy he wouldn't leave until he got an answer, he reluctantly gave a thumbs up.

"Cool," Naruto nodded. "You can't speak?"

The man gave a thumbs down.

"You can speak." A thumbs up. "Oh, I get it!" Naruto yelled as he slammed a fist into his palm. "You shouldn' speak."

A double thumbs up was his answer, making Naruto pat himself on the back for the awesome deduction. "You have a name? I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

The man said nothing. Naruto realized that it would be _very_ difficult to say a name just through thumbs up signs. "I'll call you mask-san."

The man remained silent, so Naruto took it as a yes. "I wanna ask somethin'."

"You sit here, like just sit here for long time, right?" Naruto continued despite the unresponsive agent beside him. "So you are goo' at medi...tation. Can you teach me how to? Mom will stop buggin' me if I learn it real fast. And I can go out! Kono'a looks cool from up top."

The man continued to pretend he was a statue dug out of earth. Naruto deflated when he got no response after a few minutes, so with a sad pout that was heartbreaking for anyone to see, he began to descend. Just as he was about to get down, the man spoke up in a monotone that was pitiful to hear. Like he gave up on all emotions and was just a husk of what he once was. "You should focus on one particular feeling. People say you shouldn't think of anything but that doesn't work. Once you have good focus...you will know what to do."

Naruto let out a bright smile that was enough to light up the whole clearing. "Thank you, mask-san. You're really cool too!"

With that passing statement, Naruto leaped over the boundary wall and landed in his backyard. Before he entered the house, he waved back to the man in the trees with another grin on his face.

For some reason, the man felt a warm feeling blossom in his chest when the kid made the effort to wave back to him. He focused on that feeling and crushed it with a vengeance. _Root agents_ _shouldn't feel anything._

* * *

Naruto sat down to meditate and this time his mother wasn't there to force him. He was meditating on his own. Man, he was already acting like a grownup. Taking the masked man's advice to heart, he focused inwards and tried to find a predominant feeling to focus on.

Somehow, his focus went to his stomach and he could feel a vast emptiness inside it. Like there was a really, really big room in his stomach. Maybe he was feeling hungry?

He latched onto that feeling and tried to bring it to the forefront. Oh, how it backfired. Instead of it coming to the front, his conscious was dragged back into it. He opened his eyes to find himself in...his own house? What the hell?

Because Naruto had never seen any other place in his life, his mind took the image of the only thing he could clearly envision in his mind; His house.

He slowly walked out of his room and followed the massive ominous presence he could feel outside the house. His search lead him to his back and instead of there being a boundary wall, there was a gate that extended far high into the clouds. Drawn to the presence behind the gate, he walked forward and stood in front of it.

A lone red eye with a slit in the middle stared back at him and for a moment, he thought he could see a hint of surprise in its irises. **"I never thought you'd visit me this early, brat."**

Nine massive tails rose into the air and each of them swayed around like they had a will of their own. Following the tails was a body that dwarfed the Hokage Tower, coated in reddish-orange fur. Almost like it's a horror movie scene, a face appeared from the shadows, resembling a fox with teeth that were taller than a full-grown human. It's mouth was split in the middle in a bad imitation of a grin and the two terrifying red slitted eyes completed the picture.

Two hand-shaped paws slammed into the gate, making Naruto fall back from the sheer wind pressure. The Kyuubi was simply the master of theatrics.

Naruto rose to his feet and stared dumbly at the claws that adorned the gigantic fox's paws. Just when he was thinking that it couldn't get any worse, there was a being whose claws are thrice as tall as him. He just might be the shortest being ever born in the universe. Naruto lifted his hands and pointed a quivering finger at the Kyuubi. "I'm going to defeat you!"

Kyuubi blinked. It had imagined a lot of scenarios where it would finally meet its jailer and either it would subjugate him through fear or crush his will with its power. But he didn't expect a scenario where a little brat would shout that he would defeat the mighty Kyuubi.

In fact, the Kyuubi was so utterly flabbergasted that it couldn't say anything more than, **"I feel like the Rikudou Sennin is laughing his ass off."**

* * *

 **Author's Note: So, How is it?**

 **As usual, REVIEW your thoughts, opinions, doubts and suggestions. I ACCEPT one line reviews. Unleash Hell.**


	3. The Leaf's Wind

**Disclaimer: This reality is something we all share, yet sometimes we do not. Paradoxes pave way to lies that are truths. So I do not own Naruto...or maybe I do.**

* * *

" **I feel like the Rikudou Sennin is laughing his ass off."**

Naruto had no idea what the fox meant; He was still dealing with the 'shorter than its claw' issue. Knowing that standing there idly wouldn't make him miraculously grow tall, Naruto asked the question that was bouncing around in his mind. "Who are you?"

Kyuubi grasped the chance to finally instill some fear into the little brat. **"I am the mighty** **and fearsome** **Kyuubi, the strongest of the** **Tailed Beasts."**

What the fox said went right over Naruto's head. "What's a tailed beast, Kyu-kun?"

" **I am NOT Kyu-kun!"** the Kyuubi snapped.

"Kyu-chan?"

" **I will eat you alive if you call me that again,"** Kyuubi roared in rage. **"It's Kyuubi!"**

"Kyu-sama?" Naruto tilted his head in thought.

Kyuubi's eye twitched in exasperation. Had the seal allowed it to touch it's jailer, the brat would've been cut to shreds and then dumped into its stomach. It would've preferred its jailer visiting a few years later if it didn't have to deal with this four-year old annoyance. **"Kyu-sama is fine."**

"Okay," Naruto cheered happily. The fox might look scary but it's not as evil as it looked. "I am Uzumaki Naruto."

" **I know,"** Kyuubi replied in irritation. Here it was, trying to scare the brat into submission and yet, the boy was all smiles and sunshine. **"I am sealed into you, after all."**

"You are?" Naruto asked in surprise. "So, you're in my tummy?"

Kyuubi sighed. 'Tummy' was not the word it would use to describe the seal. But it had no patience to explain sealing to the brat. His red-haired devil of a mother would teach him in a few years anyway. **"Yes."**

"My tummy is so big!" Naruto placed his hands on his stomach and tried to squeeze it. "I should start eatin' less."

Kyuubi face-faulted. Dear sage, it was too old to deal with this shit. **"Why are you here, brat?"**

"I dunno," Naruto answered with a small frown on his lips. "I was meditating and I'm here."

'Just my luck,' Kyuubi muttered to itself. Well, the boy was naive and had no idea about who it was. 'Maybe I can use this chance to escape?'

" **Can you do me a favor, brat?"** Kyuubi asked after thinking of taking a softer approach.

"What, Kyu-sama?"

The only sign that Kyuubi minded the nickname was the slight twitch of its eyebrow. **"Remove that paper over there,"** Kyuubi said as it pointed a claw at the seal on the gate.

Naruto looked up to find a square-shaped paper with complex patterns of Kanji written on it. But the paper was about ten feet from the ground. "I will."

Kyuubi was overjoyed. All the years of planning and this brat agreed to just do it on a whim. Maybe it should follow a peaceful approach to life from then on.

"But it's too high," Naruto sank into depression after that. He crouched on the ground and started poking at the grass with a stick, with a comical rain cloud hovering over his head.

Kyuubi face-palmed so hard that its claws sunk into its face. **"This is your mindscape, idiot! You can rise into the air if you want."**

"Really?!" Naruto was all fired up again. Once he willed it, he slowly rose into the air and hovered there for a moment. "This is so cool!"

" **Yeah, whatever,"** Kyuubi couldn't be blamed for being impatient. It's freedom was in sight. **"Just remove the paper."**

Naruto was about to do just that, before a thought hit him. "You didn' tell me what tailed beasts are."

" **We are majestic beings made out of chakra,"** Kyuubi answered. **"There are nine of us. One tail to nine tails.** **Now do it!** **"**

Naruto put his hand to his chin in a thinking pose and had Kyuubi had human emotions, it would've squealed at the sheer cuteness of that sight. "If I remove this paper, this gate opens?"

" **Yes..."**

"Gates opens then chakra goes away," Naruto furrowed his brows as he connected the dots. He remembered from his lessons that Chakra was the life force of humans. "Chakra goes away then it's bad."

'Oh hell. His container turned out to be intelligent of all things,' Kyuubi thought in disdain. 'Why couldn't this brat be brash like his mother was.'

"What 'appens if I remove this paper?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

Kyuubi knew it had already lost its chance at gaining freedom. So, in a rare show of honesty, it answered, **"Simple. You will die."**

"I don' wanna die," Naruto murmured softly, with a scared look on his face.

" **Nobody wants to,"** Kyuubi replied flippantly. **"If you're not going to remove the seal, just get out of here, brat."**

Naruto hovered over to look at Kyuubi in the eyes. "I can't remove the seal…But we can be friends, Kyu-sama!"

" **As if I'll be friends with a pathetic human like you,"** Kyuubi scoffed with derision. " **Leave and never come back."**

The very next moment, Naruto flew down to the ground, with tears pooling at the corner of his eyes. He sat down, with his back to the Kyuubi, and brought his knees to his chest. Even though it couldn't see the brat's face, the Kyuubi could deduce that the kid was crying from the slight shake of his shoulders.

" **Oi, why are you crying, brat?"** Kyuubi scowled. This day couldn't get any worse.

"I don' have any friends," Naruto sniffed as he answered softly. Kaka-nii and Ita-nii were more like brothers than friends. "Even you don' wanna be friends with me."

" **Your human race is so pathetic. Stop crying, idiot,"** Kyuubi sat on its hunches to look at the kid closely. It's not like the brat's tears tugged at its heartstrings or anything. Whenever the brat's in distress, the Death's aura came to life and Kyuubi was not too pleased to feel the power of the Shinigami again. Once was too much, even for a tailed beast. **"I'll be friend or...whatever."**

"For real?" Naruto turn to face the Kyuubi with a grin on his face and looked it in the eyes. With how fast his emotions changed, Kyuubi wondered if its container was bipolar.

" **I am not making any promises,"** was Kyuubi's only response.

Apparently, that was enough to appease Naruto. "Ah, we can play all day. I'll tell you some stories too...There's this one with Ita-nii..."

" **I know,"** Kyuubi muttered tiredly. **"I see everything you do."**

"EVERYTHING?!" Naruto shouted in fear. "Like the time I put sneezing powder in Kaka-nii's mask?"

Kyuubi restrained a chuckle at that memory. It was too funny to see the ANBU hide his sneezes behind his Icha-Icha. **"Yes."**

"When I set the neighbor's house on fire?"

" **That too."**

"When I dyed mom's hair blonde?"

Kyuubi right out snickered at this one. It had never heard the Red-haired devil scream that loud. **"Everything."**

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Eh. Well...do you have any stories, Kyu-sama?"

" **I do,"** Kyuubi said simply.

Naruto waited for any further explanation but none came. "Go on."

" **I am not going to tell you stories before going to bed, brat,"** Kyuubi growled. It wouldn't be degraded to the level of a baby-sitter. **"I've tolerated your presence long enough."**

"Bu-but..."

" **The Red-haired devil you call a mother is coming for you,"** Kyuubi informed as it closed its eyes to take a nap. **"Now go."**

"EHH!" Naruto panicked and quickly waved his hands. "I'll come back tomorrow."

With that Naruto disappeared, not waiting to hear the reply from Kyuubi. Kyuubi let out a sigh of relief, feeling happy it could finally get some peace. Until…

"Kyu-sama! I forgot to ask," Naruto appeared in a flash, looking like he was in a hurry. "Are you a boy or girl?"

Kyuubi rose to its full height and gathered a lot of air in its chest before roaring, **"GET OUT!"**

Naruto fell back on his butt. "Bye Bye!" he quickly waved off before the Kyuubi found out some way to break the seal. Considering how enraged it seemed, that was an actual possibility.

Kyuubi huffed and sat back on its hunches once the brat left. It could fight toe on toe with Hashirama Senju, burn villages down without a thought, create tsunamis with a flick of its tails but dealing with a hyperactive four-year old kid was NOT something it could do. Especially when the brat had the powers of the entity that was responsible for its current predicament. It wasn't like it was afraid of the brat or anything. Not at all.

'What a troublesome kid,' Kyuubi thought as it drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and got back up to his feet, with a million-watt grin on his face. He leaped in joy and ran up the walls of his room to contain the excitement. He made his first friend today! Albeit a giant, grouchy and ill-tempered friend but a friend nonetheless.

He was hanging upside down from the ceiling, with a hand on his chin as he pondered about all things he should do the next time he met the fox.

That was how Kushina found him. She was motionless for a moment at seeing him hanging from the ceiling before screaming, "Kyaaa!"

Naruto jolted at the abrupt scream and landed on the floor in a crouch. His heart got stuck in his throat when he saw the stunned expression on his mom's face. "Eh, mom, I can explain..."

"Itachi's going to get an earful after I get hold of him," Kushina declared after Naruto finished recounting his tale. "Just because Fugaku-teme wants his son to become a tool doesn't mean I want to."

"It's not that bad..." Naruto tried to explain but was ignored.

"Maybe I can ask Kakashi-kun to stick him with guarding duty for a year," Kushina had a scary smile on her angelic face. "Or a civilian protection detail..."

Naruto sweatdropped. "But I'm improvin', mom."

"Doesn't matter," Kushina snapped. "What if you got hurt? Kids don't know their limits. It's too dangerous to play with chakra at this age, Naru-chan. Tree-walking is too advanced for you."

Naruto decided to never talk about the water-walking incident. He would take the secret to his grave. "We're careful."

"If you want to improve, you can meditate, Naru-chan," Kushina said softly as she lifted Naruto and placed him on her lap. "It's a safe way. I don't ever want to see you get hurt."

Naruto buried himself deeper into his mom's embrace, feeling safe and happy. Everything seemed perfect when they stayed like this. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Kushina placed a kiss on the top of his head. "Now let's go prepare dinner, shall we?"

Naruto couldn't nod quicker.

* * *

The next day, Naruto went in search of the ANBU who helped him with meditation. But today, there was a different person sitting on the tree branch and after mulling over it for a minute, he decided to pay this person a visit.

"Hey, ANBU-san," Naruto greeted with a wave as he sat beside the agent.

Yuuto, one of the numerous agents in ROOT, was tasked with spying on the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi today. He was a relatively new recruit yet he firmly believed in the ideals of ROOT. He completely agreed with Danzo-sama's principle that shinobi shouldn't display any emotions.

So, when the boy he was tasked to spy on suddenly appeared beside him, he didn't even let out a squeak.

"What 'appened to mask-san?" Naruto asked curiously. "He was here 'esterday."

Had Yuuto had emotions, he would've frowned. All ROOT ANBU wore the same blank masks which had twin red stripes on the top-left corner; It was so that nobody could differentiate one agent from another. Then how did a four-year old realize that he was not Saku-san? Was agent Saku compromised?

"You're only here a few times, right?" Naruto continued, oblivious to the thoughts of the agent. "You must be new."

'Wh-what?' Yuuto let out a gasp on the inside. 'This boy can even sense ANBU?!'

"Anyway, I'm here to thank mask-san for helping me 'esterday," Naruto said as he started drumming his fingers on the tree branch. It was tough having a one-sided conversation. "Tell it to 'im if you see him, okay?"

'Saku-san, one of the senior most agents, violated the rules?' Yuuto thought in shock. 'You should never interact with the target!'

But then Yuuto realized that technically, even he was interacting with the boy now. 'This job ain't as easy as I thought.'

"I know you can't speak and all," Naruto whispered, as though he was revealing a huge secret. "But you can talk wit' me, ya know. I won't tell, promise."

As was common with ROOT agents, Yuuto continued to pretend he was a rock. Unmovable and rocks certainly didn't talk.

"You know, we can be friends," Naruto declared like he had discovered the purpose of humanity. "I made my firs' friend 'esterday. It's a giant fox but it's still a friend."

Inside the seal, Kyuubi face-palmed as it continued to eavesdrop on the brat's one-sided conversation. It was wondering now whether agreeing with the brat was a mistake.

Yuuto almost jolted in surprise. 'Is he saying that he made friends with the Kyuubi? This demands further investigation. But it means I should talk to the kid...'

"Really," Yuuto said and to his horror, his own voice sounded foreign to him. How long had it been since he had spoken?

Even Naruto looked surprised at the sudden voice. And then a grin formed on his face when he realized that he had cracked another tough nut. "Yep. You'll be my secon' friend. What's your name?"

"We can't reveal our identities," Yuuto answered blankly.

"Okay," Naruto didn't sound any disappointed by the fact. "I'll call you mask-2."

Yuuto shrugged. Names were irrelevant in the shinobi world. Who you are didn't matter. "Tell me about your first friend."

Even as the kid talked and talked, along with him adding his own comments and questions in the middle, Yuuto convinced himself that he was doing all this just to gather necessary information. It was all for Danzo-sama. It didn't matter that it was comforting to talk with someone sane after so long. It didn't matter that the kid reminded him of his own little brother who died in the Third Shinobi war.

It didn't matter even if it felt like he was lying to himself. It was all for ROOT. Or so he believed.

* * *

When Naruto met Itachi again after two weeks, he had finally learned water-walking after facing the risk of drowning in the bathtub a hundred times. If he hadn't been a Jinchuuriki he would've died of Pneumonia by now. Both of them were standing on the surface of a lake, staring at each other in the imitation of showdown.

"I see you've learned water walking," Itachi commented idly. He wasn't surprised as it was expected of his apprentice.

"Yep," Naruto replied proudly. It was tough getting over his fear of water after all.

"Let's test that," Itachi remarked as he removed the tanto from his back and threw it on the ground. "Let's have a spar on water. I'll try to fight at Genin level."

"S-spar?" Naruto stuttered in apprehension. He might've tried to attack Kaka-nii at every chance he got but he had no experience with fighting.

"Don't worry," Itachi raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I won't try to hurt you...much."

Not even giving a warning, Itachi rushed at Naruto without even producing a ripple in the water. Naruto's eyes widened to saucers as a fist came in his direction and to his amazement, he could clearly see it coming. He ducked under the punch to his face and the fist nicked his blond hair as it passed over his head. As Naruto leaped away from his original spot, he almost lost his balance due to the lack of focus.

"Don't lose your focus, Naruto-kun," Itachi advised as he readied himself in a stance. "Water-walking should come as easy as breathing to you. Only then it means that you perfected it."

With that, Itachi disappeared again and aimed at kick at Naruto's midsection. Naruto jumped to the right to escape the leg and before he could try to catch it, Itachi was already moving away. This time, Naruto took the initiative and with a hell, he jumped into the air to launch a kick at Itachi's chest. Itachi blocked it with his arm and caught Naruto's leg.

Before Naruto could perceive what was happening, he was flying through the air at breakneck speeds. Righting himself in mid-air, Naruto landed on the water, although not as gracefully as he desired. Both his legs sunk into the water and by the time he righted himself, Itachi was already above him.

As the palm strike came at his head, Naruto's pupils dilated in shock and for a moment, it seemed like the hit was coming in slow motion. He tilted his head back and Itachi's palm narrowly missed his head yet his nose did take some damage.

Naruto moaned as his nose cracked again and Itachi leaped away to give some time to Naruto to recover. But even as he watched the four-year old boy pouting as he checked his nose, Itachi was busy wondering about another thing. The last palm strike was too close and too fast for Naruto dodge but still, the boy reacted like he could see it coming. As far as he knew, the boy had no ocular powers; Then how did he predict the attack?

A small frown made its way onto Itachi's lips and with a shake of his head, he readied himself again. Willing to test his theory, Itachi shot forward at a speed that only a seasoned Genin could match. Naruto, who was still bemoaning about the state of his nose, nearly squeaked in fright when he saw Itachi disappear from his sight for a second.

Once again, Naruto only saw Itachi when the teen was only a few inches away from him and once again, time seemed to slow down...or his perception seemed to speed up. But even if he could see it coming, he was too slow to dodge it. So, instead he lifted a hand in defense.

With a thump, Itachi's leg hit his stomach. But just as Itachi's attack hit him, he released a burst of chakra out his palm out of sheer desperation. Both attacks hit at the same time and the two of them flew away from each other to land on the surface of the lake.

But while Itachi stood as though nothing had happened, Naruto collapsed to his knees as he held his stomach in pain. "That was cruel, Ita-nii."

Tears formed on either corner of his eyes as Naruto jumped to the ground and the rolled around in pain. That was the hardest he was ever hit. Even though, Itachi looked stoic on the outside, he was cursing himself on the inside. He should've known that the attack was too much for a four year old. He lost hold of his restraint in his urge to test his theory. Had Naruto not defended himself, he would've been downed for the day.

At the thought of defense, Itachi's stare shifted to his chest. Naruto released a burst of pure chakra from his palm and that had slightly pushed him back, reducing the power of his kick. Itachi had an almost unnoticeable smirk on his face as fumes rose from his ANBU Jacket. That surprise attack might've hurt him a little if he hadn't been wearing his ANBU attire.

He shifted his gaze to Naruto, who was still rolling on the ground while holding his stomach. 'How fascinating.'

* * *

 **A Few Months Later**

Deep under the Konoha's main village, lied a series of tunnels and passageways that led to various offices of ROOT organization. It was here that the agents practiced their skills, took orders and got some rare rest after weeks of dealing with missions. Normally, these tunnels were dead silent and even the sound of a drop of water falling on the ground would've echoed clearly.

But today, a group of agents wearing identical masks were arguing about a certain matter. It definitely didn't seem like an argument to an outside person, as the only thing they were doing was staring at each other with blank looks and communicating with complex gestures. The only sign that an argument was going on was the slight hisses when someone lost an argument.

'Today is my turn,' Saku argued intently; With a fierce series of hand-signs. 'I met him first. I get some privileges.'

'I am his second friend,' Yuuto or dubbed as 'mask-2' shot back.

'Because I wasn't there,' Saku retorted sharply.

'Both of you went too many times,' Mina or 'mask-7' pointed out. 'You should give the chance to someone else.'

'Like you?' Soran or 'mask-10' asked dryly.

'Of course,' was Mina's only response.

Before the argument could escalate any further, Toka or 'mask-9' walked into Danzo's office. "Danzo-sama, I wish to take the guard detail for the Jinchuuriki today. I believe I've improved my skills enough and want to test it."

Danzo lifted his head from the paperwork he was reading and gave a slight nod. "Accepted."

That was reason they usually gave their leader when they want to meet with Naruto that day. Since Naruto had a terrifying presence that scared even seasoned Jonin, Danzo saw it as a training exercise for his agents to spy on the boy. It didn't matter that the boy was sweet enough to give diabetes to anyone who talked to him because Danzo had no idea that his agents were fighting among each other to meet with the boy.

Usually, new agents who just had their emotional conditioning were sent to spy on the boy, only to return with their hearts turned to mush and their emotions wrecked. The boy had an innate skill to pierce the shell of any person.

With a sharp nod, Toka walked away from the group of agents but not before leaving a passing remark. 'See you tomorrow, kids.'

'Dammit, that woman is a witch,' Saku remarked in vexation.

Toka sat on the tree branch, waiting for Naruto come visit her. She was the fastest one to crack among all the agents. All of the ROOT agents had an emotional baggage that made them take up this profession.

Toka was once a woman happily married to the love of her life and was expecting a child. But everything went straight to hell on her delivery date and she had a miscarriage, result in her baby boy dying in child birth. Her husband was devastated by the news and he lost himself in his job. He had killed many but even his time came one day and Toka lost her will to live when she saw her husband in a body bag.

She joined ROOT and was determined to live a life of no attachments or emotions. That was until she met a golden-blond haired who was so full of life that her heart hammered in her chest. It came as a painful reminder that had her son lived, he would've been the same age as the boy.

She didn't realize she was crying until the boy affectionately called her 'mask-9' and hugged her. That was day she understood why so many agents in her organization were enamored of the boy. He was a painful yet bitter sweet reminder of what life could offer.

"Nine-chan!" Naruto greeted his favorite ANBU guardian as he appeared on the tree branch. "It's your turn today?"

"Yes," Toka smirked inwardly. It was actually fun to get one over her comrades. "How are you today, Naru-kun?"

"Great!" Naruto replied happily. "I'm learnin' hand seals you guys taught me."

"Oh?" Toka raised her eyebrows in curiosity. She had no idea they had already started teaching him hand-seals."Can you show me what you've learned?"

"Sure," Naruto chirped and focused deeply on his hands.

His thinking pose, as always, was so cute that Toka couldn't help but pinch his cheeks. "Nine-chan!" Naruto protested with a pout, making Toka smile at the sight. He was just too cute for his own good.

Shifting his focus back to his hand, he slowly made the twelve basic hand-signs, while Toka watched intently from the side. He looked up once he finished to hear the evaluation. "They're good, Naru-kun. Monkey, rat, bird, snake and dog are perfect. The other signs require some more practice. You look like you're having the most difficulty with Dragon and Horse. But...you pass."

"Yay!" Naruto cheered and Toka ruffled his blond hair in applause. "Teach me something else, Nine-chan!"

"Hmm..." Toka thought of what would be simple enough for a near-five year old to learn. "How about Kunai balancing exercise?"

"Eh? Is it like leaf bala'cing?"

"Correct," Toka flicked him on the nose, eliciting a giggle out of him.

Toka smiled as she watched him interact with the swallow bird that landed on the branch. It was so fascinating to watch as he conversed with animals so easily. She – or any other person for that matter – never understood what he talked about but he kept making weird gestures. Her smile widened when the bird flew from the branch and landed on the head.

It was so strange, smiling after so many years. She still couldn't laugh. It would take more time but she could at least smile honestly and it didn't creep children like the smiles of some senior ROOT agents.

Danzo-sama believed that Naruto's greatest strength was the tailed beast sealed within him. But Toka didn't agree. It wasn't even this mysterious power he had over death. More than anyone in the elemental nations, this four year old possessed the most terrifying power; The power to turn anyone into his ally.

Even as the ROOT agents began to feel the boy's aura, surprisingly, they were happy instead of being worried. It meant that they're still human.

* * *

 **October Tenth: Naruto's Fifth Birthday.**

Kushina barged into Naruto's room without any warning and lifted the boy directly out of bed. Before Naruto could even wake up, Kushina slammed his face into her bosom and started swinging him around in joy. "Happy Birthday, Naru-chan!"

Naruto wriggled his hands in terror. "Can't breathe!" he yelled but his voice came out muffled.

"What are you saying, Naru-chan?" Kushina asked as she still hadn't removed his face from her bosom.

"Can't breathe!" Naruto mumbled again but it fell on deaf years.

"I think he's saying he can't breathe, Kushina-san," Kakashi supplied helpfully; He pitied and envied the boy's situation.

"Oh, sorry, Naru-chan," Kushina rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

Naruto took big gulps of air as he was released from the embrace and silently thanked Kaka-nii for the save. Almost immediately he snapped back to life and returned the hug. "Thanks, mom."

"Guess what's the gift for you, Naru-chan," Kushina began but she couldn't hold the suspense. "I am taking you out to see Konoha today!"

Naruto's jumped out his bed in glee and started all over the room; Even the wall weren't left unmarked. "AWESOME! This is the best birthday ever."

"You only had four before," Kakashi pointed out unhelpfully.

"Don't be a killjoy, Kaka-nii," Naruto remarked dryly. "So, what's your gift for me?"

"This is a book about sealing my sensei wrote for me," Kakashi produced a worn-out book that looked like it had seen some rough years of use. "He is one of the greatest at this art."

"Kakashi-kun, are you sure..." Kushina asked hesitantly. "It's quite personal."

"I am never that good at sealing anyway," Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. "And I have a feeling Naruto is different from me."

"Thank you, Kaka-nii," Naruto said softly, understanding the emotional value this book held.

"And I left ANBU," Kakashi added like he was saying that the weather was sunny.

"WHAT?/ WHAT!" Twin voices echoed loudly in the room.

"Geez, not that loud people," Kakashi pretended to clean his ear.

"That's...great!" Kushina blinked in shock. "This calls for celebration."

"Eh, I still have to submit my resignation," Kakashi took a step back. "I'll see you at dinner!"

With that, Kakashi disappeared, making Kushina shake her head. "That boy…at least he's recovering."

Kushina turned to face Naruto, who still seemed like he was floating in the clouds. "Get ready soon, Naru-chan."

"Say no more," Naruto saluted and disappeared into the bathroom.

'I sometimes doubt he got his craziness from me,' Kushina thought as stared at the spot where Naruto previously stood. 'Even I'm not that crazy.'

* * *

At the pretense of taking more time in the bathroom, Naruto appeared on the tree branch that was the official spying spot of the ROOT ANBU. Instead there being a single ROOT agent this time, there were a whole group waiting for him on the various branches of the tree. "Happy birthday, Naruto!" they cheered in unison.

Naruto teared up at seeing so many people wishing him, making his aura flicker slightly. But the ROOT agents were unperturbed. With a flash, Toka appeared beside him and drew him into a hug.

"Thank you," Naruto sniffed and tried to rub away his tears discretely. From the way the ROOT agents shuffled closer to him, he obviously failed at subtlety.

"What plans do you have for today, Naruto?" Saku inquired idly.

"Mom's takin' me out to see Konoha today!" Naruto answered as he pumped his fist into air. Discreetly, the ANBU agents looked at each other and decided that they would be patrolling Konoha today. It wouldn't do if their precious blonde was harmed by some idiot. "It's my bir'day gift!

"Don't you want to see our gift?" Toka asked with a slight smirk. "It's a combined gift from all of us."

"Where is it?" Naruto looked around in anticipation.

Toka produced a sealing scroll out of her pouch and presented it to Naruto, who looked blankly at the sheet of paper. "Eh, this paper is the gift?"

Toka rolled her eyes behind her mask. "Push some chakra into it, Naru-kun"

The moment he did, he was engulfed in a burst of smoke and when it cleared, there was a shiny, medium-sized black box in his hands. Almost trembling in anticipation, he opened the lid and the contents made him gasp in surprise. On the left hand side of the box were a set of stainless shuriken that gleamed in the sunlight and on the right hand side were a set of kunai that looked so sharp that Naruto doubted there was anything they couldn't cut.

But the object that caught his eyes was the tanto that was lying perfectly in the middle of the Kunai and Shuriken. It was a standard ANBU tanto that has a blade of two foot length and a handle wrapped in bandages. Lifting it into his hands, he noticed how it immediately leeched on his chakra to acquire an ethereal bluish-black glow.

"Wow," Naruto could only gawk in awe at the sight while the ANBU around him watched in abject curiosity.

"It's made of chakra conductive metal," Toka informed as she noticed his puzzled look. "One of the rarest metals in elemental nations."

"Aw, you give best gifts, don' mind my nicknames...You people are the best group ever," Naruto stated with eyes full of emotion, making the agents puff up their chests in pride. "This day just can't get any better."

* * *

Naruto just couldn't turn his eyes away from the sight. His mouth that hung open when he first exited his house still wasn't closed and from the signs of it, it wouldn't be happening any time soon. There were so many people in Konoha. He didn't know these many people even existed!

Kushina made sure to only take him through the civilian districts and that too only the areas where the population density was low. Kakashi informed her that Naruto's chakra control had miraculously improved somehow and that it's safe for him to roam around in Konoha without attracting much attention. But even then, Kushina wanted to take no risk.

"Let's go meet the Hokage, Naru-chan," Kushina led him to the right to enter that main road that led directly to the Hokage Tower. "He's eager to meet you."

"Really?" Naruto muttered skeptically. Why would the Hokage be eager to meet _him_?

The receptionist was suspiciously absent and it seemed like the whole tower was practically deserted. Naruto assumed that a lot of people worked in the tower but apparently, that wasn't the case. On the other Kushina was thinking how Hiruzen seemed to have went overboard with all the precautions.

She knocked on the door leading to Hokage's office, hearing an 'enter' from the other side. Naruto automatically took hold of his mother's hand at the sight of two strangers in the office, making Kushina look at her son with evident love in her eyes.

Hiruzen and Jiraiya could only smile at the heartwarming sight. It's obvious that as the years, Kushina's love for her son only grew. But they had to stifle a gasp when they saw Naruto. He was exactly like a mini Minato, albeit a much cuter one. Even more surprising was the ocean of power that was rolling in the kid's body. At five years old, the boy already had chakra reserves that could rival that of a low Jonin.

"Naru-chan, this is Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage of our village," Kushina introduced the smiling old man sitting in the chair, with a hat on his head.

As his right hand was busy holding his mother's hand, Naruto lifted his other hand in greeting. "Yo, old man."

Kushina face-palmed. She knew she should've instilled some manners into her son before bringing him out but she was never great at this sort of thing. "He spends too much time with Kakashi-kun."

"I don't mind, Kushina," Hiruzen let out a throaty chuckle. "Someone needs to remind me from time to time that I'm not getting any younger. Anyway, nice to meet you, Naruto-kun."

"And this man," Kushina gestured at the white-haired man sitting on the window ledge. "He is..."

Before Kushina could introduce him, Jiraiya interrupted her and summoned a toad to begin his kabuki dance. Knowing what was coming, Kushina knew that this sight would forever scar her child. She grabbed the nearest thing on the table, which happened to be the newest Icha Icha book, and smacked Jiraiya in the face.

"Why do I feel like this already happened?" Hiruzen sighed and bemoaned about his student's stupidity.

"Anyway," Kushina dusted her hands with a huff. "This idiot here Jiraiya of the Sannin, Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku."

Jiraiya appeared before Kushina in a flash, with his injuries miraculously disappearing. "And your beauty has only grown from the last time I've seen you, Kushina-chan."

Before Kushina could deck Jiraiya in the face again, Naruto lifted a leg and stomped hard on Jiraiya's foot. "Creepy, Ero-sennin."

"Ero-sennin?!" Jiraiya asked indignantly as he jumped around on one foot. "What kind of stupid name is that?"

Naruto simply turned his head the other way.

"Ignored!" Jiraiya deflated like a punctured balloon and strolled over to the window to cry faux tears.

Paying no mind to the antics of Jiraiya, Kushina knelt before her son and swept a hand through his hair. "There's a reason I brought you here, Naru-chan. I decided to tell you who your father is."

"I have a father?" Naruto gasped

"Of course you have a father," Jiraiya answered like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Which it kind of was. "It takes a man and a woman..."

"You are the last person I want my son to hear the 'talk' from," Kushina interrupted before Jiraiya could continue any further.

"Hey! I am the most knowledgeable person here!"

"That's exactly why!" Kushina retorted with a glare. "And he's five."

"Oh, yeah," Jiraiya mumbled sheepishly when he found Naruto looking around in bafflement. "Sorry."

Hiruzen coughed to gain the attention of the two _adults_ in the room. "I believe we were talking about Minato."

"Minato who?" Naruto furrowed his brows in thought. Where had he heard that name?

Kushina took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Minato Namikaze, Naru-chan. The Fourth Hokage of Konoha and your father."

They took turns explaining Naruto about the man who was one of greatest shinobi to ever live and how he had sacrificed his life to save the village from Kyuubi. Naruto remained frighteningly silent even after they finished the explanation, making the adults in the room worry whether they made a mistake by revealing this to him too soon.

"Naru-chan..." Kushina held his face in her hands while a tear slid down her cheek.

Suddenly, Naruto looked up at the Hokage mountain, particularly at the face of the Fourth Hokage, and declared, "I will become the Hokage."

The three adults in the room could only blink in shock. "Wh..what?"

"Father chose this village over me," Naruto said but there was no hint of bitterness in his tone. It sounded as though he was _passionately_ curious. "I want to know why. So I will become the Hokage of Konoha."

* * *

 **Author's Note: We are about to enter the first main arc of the story. This is sort of like the introduction. So, stay tuned.**

 **Don't forget to REVIEW your opinion! Or doubts or suggestions or thoughts...Don't be lazy.**


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